The Constitution of the Inter Fraternity Council
The University of the South
Article I: Purpose
Section I: The Inter Fraternity Council (IFC) is an organization composed of representatives of all fraternities at the University of the South, an elected President, Vice President of Rush & IM, Vice President of Community Service & Education and Vice President for Records & Publicity.
Section II: The goals of the IFC are as follows:
1. Spirit: To promote harmony and good will among the fraternities;
2. Communicative: To act as a liaison concerning fraternity matters between the fraternities and faculty/administration, so as to create an efficient working relationship among fraternities and the faculty/administration of the University of the South;
3. Service: To foster a program of service to the local and greater community;
4. Educational: to promote and sponsor educational programs to increase awareness on issues concerning fraternities (i.e. alcohol awareness, hazing, etc.);
5. Judicial: to adjudicate offenses and to serve on the Judicial Council;
6. Recognition: to recognize outstanding fraternities for their service to the University of the South and local community.
Section III: Philosophy and Commitment clause
Fraternities and sororities at The University of the South are expected to support the general purpose of the College and the mission of the University. Both the College and the fraternities and sororities seek to encourage excellence in various areas of personal and group development. To maximize the effectiveness of this effort, it is important that the relationship between the institution and the fraternities and sororities be based on trust, cooperation, and mutual support. Both parties in the relationship are obligated to promote programs and activities, which support their common goals.
In recognition of the need for a mutually supportive relationship and in recognition of the positive contribution which fraternities and sororities can make to our community, the College pledges its staff and other appropriate resources to the development and maintenance of a healthy and constructive fraternity and sorority program.
Article II: Membership
The IFC shall consist of representatives from each fraternity. Those representatives shall be as follows: the president of each fraternity and four officers elected annually by the IFC, who serve as the Executive Committee.
Article III: Executive Committee
Section I: The IFC shall have four officers, elected from the various fraternities. These officers are the President, the Vice President of Rush & IM, the Vice President of Community Service & Education and the Vice President for Records & Publicity. The duties of these officers are as follows:
IFC President:
o Serve as executive officer of the IFC.
o Serve as a member of the IFC/ISC Judicial Board.
o Set the agenda and preside over IFC meetings.
o Take and maintain minutes of IFC meetings.
o Meet regularly with the Associate Dean of Students.
o Serve as a co-chair of Mountain Derby Days
o Serve as administrator of all IFC funds.
o Serve as custodian of all IFC records and papers.
o Maintain a calendar and publicize fraternity activities.
o Work closely with the ISC President to promote the Greek system.
o Represent the IFC to the University community.
IFC Vice President-Rush & IM:
o Serve as executive officer of the IFC.
o Serve as a member of the IFC/ISC Judicial Board.
o Attend all IFC meetings.
o Meet regularly with the Associate Dean of Students.
o Serve on the Mountain Derby Days planning committee.
o Serve as fraternity contact for all freshmen and rush chairs.
o Maintain a calendar and publicize rush events.
o Meet with dorm staff to train and advise them on formal rush.
o Set agenda for rush chair meetings.
o Serve as fraternity contact for all IM information.
o Meet with coaches and athletic department regularly.
o Announce IM events at IFC meetings.
o Assist with the IM program as needed and requested
IFC Vice President-Community Service & Education:
o Serve as executive officer of the IFC.
o Serve as a member of the IFC/ISC Judicial Board.
o Attend all IFC meetings.
o Meet regularly with the Associate Dean of Students.
o Serve on the Mountain Derby Days planning committee.
o Serve as fraternity contact for campus events and information.
o Meet with Outreach Office staff regularly.
o Assist in establishing service opportunities for fraternities.
o Communicate Greek service activities to faculty & community members.
o Communicate educational programs that fraternities could sponsor.
o Maintain a calendar and publicize academic and service events.
o Meet regularly with fraternity service coordinators & scholarship chairs.
o Set agenda for service coordinator and scholarship chair meetings.
o Assist chapters in improving their reputation with faculty.
o Collect, track, and report fraternity service hours to the IFC.
IFC Vice President for Records & Publicity:
o Serve as executive officer of the IFC.
o Serve as a member of the IFC/ISC Judicial Board.
o Attend all IFC meetings.
o Meet regularly with the Associate Dean of Students.
o Serve on the Mountain Derby Days planning committee.
o Be responsible for the IFC’s reward and recognition program.
o Maintain and update a calendar of fraternal events.
o Encourage interfraternal collaboration, such as fundraising, service, social activities, and healthy competitions.
o Mediate non-judicial conflicts between fraternal organizations.
o Update IFC constitution and bylaws as appropriate and necessary.
o Publicize Greek events through appropriate media (banners, flyers, website, newspaper, emails, etc).
Section II: Each officer shall hold his position for a term of two semesters. No individual shall hold the same office for more than two terms.
Section III: These officers shall be known as the Executive Officers of the Inter Fraternity Council.
Section IV: Nominations and election of the IFC officers for the upcoming term shall occur mid-March. Nominations must come from fraternity members in good standing. Persons serving as Executive Officers will not be allowed to serve as President of their own organization while serving their term on the IFC. During elections each nominee will have an opportunity to present a brief statement to the IFC. After all nominees for a given position have spoken, the group will be asked to leave the room, whereupon each nominee shall be discussed individually in a pro-con-con-pro format. Each fraternity will be entitled to one vote after the discussions are over. At least two members from each fraternity must be present during elections for them to be official.
Section V: The IFC officers will have no voting privileges except in the case of a tie, in which the President of the IFC will vote to break the tie.
Section VI: The newly elected officers will not be considered representatives of the respective fraternities. The president and vice president of each fraternity should be elected in early-March as specified by the IFC, whereupon the officers and members of the IFC should train their incumbent to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.
Section VII: An executive officer may be removed from office for a due cause by a 3/4 vote of the fraternities in the IFC, provided that he shall have been given the reasons for his removal in writing and afforded fair opportunity to rebut them before the Council.
Article VI: Meetings
Section I: Regular meetings of the IFC shall be held weekly according to the schedule the council shall establish in the spring and announce at the August retreat. Joint meetings with the IFC and ISC Councils shall also be held monthly or as specified by the Executive Committees.
Section II: Unscheduled meetings may be called by the President of the IFC, the Associate Dean of Students, or at the request of any active Council members.
Section III: Each member of the IFC is expected to be president at all IFC meetings. Attendance will be recorded by the VP for Records & Publicity. If any member of the IFC has two unexcused absences during the academic year he will be removed from his seat on the IFC. Absences may be excused by the President of the IFC or the Associate Dean of Students.
Article V: Compliance and Proceedings
Section I: Fraternities shall abide by this Constitution and By-Laws and by such rules and regulations as the Council or the University may adopt pursuant to them.
Section II: Judicial authority shall be vested in the Judicial Council which shall rule on infractions of the Council By-Laws, breaches of the University Social Host Guidelines, and other matters referred to it by the Office of the Dean of Students.
Section III: The Judicial Council shall consist of four officers from the combined IFC and ISC Executive Committees to be chosen by the Associate Dean of Students on a case basis.
Chosen Council members should be suitable considering the case being tried and the parties involved. They should not be affiliated with the organization involved, nor should they themselves be involved in the incident being investigated. The genders of the chosen Council members should be representative of the organization(s) involved (i.e. a fraternity infraction should be heard by a council consisting of three men and one woman).
Section IV: If necessary, an investigator shall be chosen by the Associate Dean of Students with the approval of the IFC and ISC members from their membership to gather all pertinent information and report to the Judicial Council. The investigator shall be the sole student interviewer prior to hearings and trials and shall be chosen on a case by case basis. During the hearings and trial, the investigator shall serve only in the capacity of recounting information.
Section V: Once chosen, Judicial Council will then hold a meeting during which the involved parties and/or the president representing the organization in question may present a statement before the Council. The Council will then deliberate and decide upon a punishment which will then be recommended to the Associate Dean of Students.
Section VI: Once approved by the Associate Dean of Students, the recommendation should then be brought before the IFC and/or ISC Councils, depending on the nature of the case, at which point any member in objection to the verdict may call for a vote. A 3/4 vote can overturn the Judicial Council’s ruling whereupon the case will be reheard and tried.
Section VII: An appeal may be made to the Vice-Chancellor.
Article VII: Procedures for Obtaining IFC Recognition
Section I: A group wishing to petition the IFC for recognition must prepare a constitution, a list of members and officers, and a tentative budget. The fraternity should then inform the IFC President or the Associate Dean of Students of their desire to come before the IFC to request recognition. The IFC President will set a date for the proposed fraternity to come before the IFC.
Section II: At the first meeting with the IFC, the petitioning fraternity should present their petition for recognition which should include their constitution, a list of their members and officers, and a tentative budget. Copies of this information should to be made available to each of the recognized fraternities in the IFC, the Associate Dean of Students and the IFC Executive Officers. At this meeting, the president of the petitioning fraternity will inform the Council about the general format of the proposed fraternity, reasons for petitioning, goals, and projected membership.
Section III: At the end of the first meeting a date will be set for the proposed fraternity to come before the IFC a second time for a question and answer session.
Section IV: At the second IFC meeting the officers of the petitioning fraternity will be present for a question and answer session to be overseen by the Associate Dean of Students.
Section V: After the second meeting each fraternity is given time to present the information gathered to their chapter at large and decide how to cast their vote regarding the recognition of the proposed new fraternity.
Section VI: At the next IFC meeting each fraternity will case one vote either in favor of or against the petitioning fraternity’s recognition by the IFC. A 3/4 vote is needed to recognize the new fraternity. In the case of a tie, the IFC officers cast the deciding vote.
Article VIII: Amendments
Section I: This constitution may be amended by a 3/4 vote of the member fraternities, provided that the proposed Amendment is submitted in writing and notice of such intended action is given to the IFC President, the Associate Dean of Students and each Council member at least two weeks before the vote is taken.
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